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Ilkhanid Frieze Star Tile with Seated Man, Kashan, Iran, second half 13th century.
British Museum, London, OAG 1983.212.

Fig. 38 (cat. no. 106). Two star tiles, Iran (Kashan), second half of the 13th century.
Fritware, overglaze luster-painted. The Trustees of the British Museum, London (OA G 1983.212, 229)


106                           fig. 38
Two Star Tiles
Iran (Kashan), second half of the 13th century
Fritware, overglaze luster-painted
Diam. each 20.1 cm (7⅞ in.)
The Trustees of the British Museum, London
(OAG 1983.212, 229)

These tiles, one portraying a man, the other a horse, may best be understood as genre scenes rather than representations of a particular story.¹ The horse, depicted with the spots that Kashan potters seem to have been so fond of, is shown with a typical Mongol saddle and saddle-cloth (see cat. nos. 1, 42), while the seated male figure, relaxing with his cup, is clad in a richly decorated robe and owl-plumed headdress characteristic of the Ilkhanid period. Although he is identifiable as a Mongol by his costume, this figure conforms to standards of beauty that predate the Mongol invasions. The formula of prominent eyebrows, long, narrow eyes, and moon face crowned by thick locks presents an ideal type that evidently suited both the Turkic Seljuqs and their Mongol successors.²

1. Porter 1995, p.33, fig. 17.
2. Ibid., p.42.
Source: The Legacy of Genghis Khan Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia 1256-1353